Identifying Key Factors Influencing the Selection of Sustainable Building Materials in New Zealand

Ali Hashemi Araghi (), Eziaku Onyeizu Rasheed, Vishnupriya Vishnupriya and Jeff Seadon
Additional contact information
Ali Hashemi Araghi: School of Built Environment, College of Science, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
Eziaku Onyeizu Rasheed: School of Built Environment, College of Science, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
Vishnupriya Vishnupriya: School of Built Environment, College of Science, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
Jeff Seadon: Seadon Consultancy, Auckland 0632, New Zealand

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-22

Abstract: The construction sector is a major contributor to climate change, with embodied carbon emissions from building materials representing a critical share of its environmental footprint. Selecting zero-carbon materials is therefore essential for reducing life-cycle emissions while advancing global climate goals. This study investigates six decision-making factors, including cost-effectiveness, durability, buildability, embodied carbon, availability, and aesthetics, and evaluates four alternative materials (wood, hemp, rammed earth, and straw bale) in the New Zealand context. A survey of 203 industry professionals was analysed using descriptive statistics, one-sample t -tests, and structural equation modelling (SEM). Using a 5-point Likert scale, the survey assessed six factors affecting material choice: cost-effectiveness, durability, buildability, embodied carbon, aesthetics, and material availability. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SEM via Partial Least Squares analysis. The results revealed that embodied carbon and material availability were the most influential factors shaping zero-carbon material selection. Among the available alternatives, hemp emerged as the most preferred material, while cost-effectiveness and wood showed moderate impacts, and aesthetic considerations had the least influence. These findings highlight that environmental performance and practical accessibility are central drivers of decision-making when adopting zero-carbon materials. This study contributes to developing effective strategies for promoting the widespread adoption of zero-carbon materials, thereby supporting New Zealand’s progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Keywords: material selection; sustainable buildings; building materials; green materials; influencing factors; construction industry; NZ industry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/20/9071/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/20/9071/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:20:p:9071-:d:1770312

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().